Samwise Cycle Racing Newsletter
Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Balsamo Claims Hat-Trick on Stage 3 of Giro d’Italia Women
Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) claimed her third consecutive stage victory at the Giro d’Italia Women, powering to a searing uphill sprint win in Buja on Stage 3 of the nine-day Italian Grand Tour. The Italian national champion, racing in the maglia rosa she inherited after Lorena Wiebes’ disqualification, timed her effort perfectly to hold off Lily Williams (Human Powered Health) and Femke Gerritse (SD Worx-Protime) at the summit finish. Balsamo extended her general classification lead to 24 seconds over Williams and 30 seconds over two-time defending champion Elisa Longo Borghini. The stage featured a punchy Montenars climb 22 kilometres from the finish before riders regrouped on flatter roads into Buja.
Sources: Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly
SD Worx Calls Weighing Procedures Into Question After Wiebes Ejection
SD Worx-Protime expressed bewilderment after the UCI disqualified Lorena Wiebes from the Giro d’Italia Women following a post-Stage 1 bike weight check that found her Specialized Tarmac SL8 weighed 6.78 kilograms, 20 grams beneath the UCI’s minimum 6.8 kilogram requirement. The team said it was “astonished” and raised serious questions about the weighing procedure, noting a discrepancy of more than 50 grams between two separate weighings of the same bicycle at the finish in Ravenna. No comparable disqualification for an underweight bike had occurred since Fabiana Luperini at the 2013 Giro Rosa, making the ruling particularly unexpected for Wiebes and her team.
Sources: Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly
Vingegaard Eyes Yellow Jersey After Week of Post-Giro Rest
Jonas Vingegaard announced he would take a week’s rest in Rome with his family before beginning his final Tour de France build-up, after winning the Giro d’Italia and completing professional cycling’s coveted Grand Tour treble. The Visma–Lease a Bike leader said he believed the Giro preparation would leave him in “very, very good shape” for the Tour, scheduled to start with a team time trial in Barcelona on 4 July. Vingegaard plans to join teammates at an altitude camp in Tignes after the Tour Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes before travelling to Barcelona on 30 June. He becomes the first rider since Chris Froome in 2018 to hold all three Grand Tour titles simultaneously.
Sources: Cyclingnews, Cyclingnews (analysis)
Seixas Sets Tourmalet KOMs in Tour de France Stage Recon
French climbing prospect Paul Seixas set multiple Strava KOMs on the Col du Tourmalet during a reconnaissance ride covering Stage 6 of the 2026 Tour de France, the Pau to Gavarnie-Gèdre mountain stage that also tackles the Col d’Aspin. The 19-year-old Decathlon CMA CGM rider recorded the KOM on the 10.1 kilometre stretch from Luz-Saint-Sauveur to Super-Barrèges, the descent side of the Tourmalet the peloton will climb on Stage 6. Seixas uploaded the data from his Sierra Nevada altitude camp to Strava. The teenager has already won at WorldTour level in 2026, most recently at the Itzulia Basque Country, and has confirmed he will ride the Tour de France.
Sources: Cyclingnews
RCS Flatly Rejects Pogačar’s Call to Swap Giro and Vuelta Dates
Race organiser RCS Sport has firmly rejected Tadej Pogaçar’s suggestion that the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España swap their calendar slots, with chief executive Paolo Bellino telling Cyclingnews the idea would not be considered. “The Giro d’Italia has a traditional date in May and we don’t want to change it,” Bellino said, with the only potential adjustment being an alignment with the 2 June Italian national holiday. Pogaçar’s comments followed the 2026 Giro d’Italia conclusion, amid broader UCI discussions about reforming the Grand Tour calendar. Bellino confirmed there would be no switch between the two races.
Sources: Cyclingnews
Evenepoel’s Coach Dan Lorang to Exit Red Bull–Bora After the Tour
Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe performance coach Dan Lorang will leave the team at the end of July, the squad confirmed, departing once Remco Evenepoel’s Tour de France campaign concludes. Lorang, 45, has been the team’s lead performance coach since 2017 and was a central figure in the squad’s WorldTour rise before Evenepoel’s blockbuster arrival from Soudal–QuickStep for 2026. Team principal Ralph Denk said in a statement that he regretted the decision but fully respected Lorang’s desire for change. Lorang’s future destination has not been announced. The departure adds another layer of uncertainty to Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe’s staff structure heading into the second half of the 2026 season.
Sources: Cyclingnews
Giro d’Italia Women — GC
After Stage 3 — MTN ITT Today
1. Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) — Leader | Lidl-Trek
2. Williams (Human Powered Health) — +0:24
3. Longo Borghini (UAE ADQ) — +0:30
4. Vigié (Visma–LAB) — +0:30
5. Géry (FDJ United–Suez) — +0:30
Stage 4 — MTN TT Preview
Belluno → Nevegal (12.7km, 8.2% avg)
Reusser (Movistar) — TT World Champion
Vollering (FDJ United–Suez) — Key Challenger
Longo Borghini (UAE ADQ) — 2x Def. Champ
Race: May 30–June 7 — 9 stages
Giro Men won by Vingegaard (May 31)
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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